Container flap cutting machine



April 26, 1960 w. J. HOTTENDORF T 2,933,987

CONTAINER FLAP CUTTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1957 o 4 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTORS W/LL/AM J HOTTENDORF CHESTER E. HARSHMAN A TTORNEKS April 26,1960 w. J. HOTTENDORF ETAL 2,933,987

CONTAINER FLAP CUTTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 15, 1957 MNAsk Ym bbx INVENTORS WILL/AM J HOTTE/VDORF CHE S TE/P E. HAPSHMANATTORNEYS April 25, 1960 w. J HOTTENDORF ETAL 2,933,987

CONTAINER FLAP CUTTING MACHINE Filed Oct- 15, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTORS WILL/AM J HOTTENDO/PF CHESTER E. HA/PSHMAN BY l awwfizATTOAP/VE V5 April 26, 1960 w. J. HOTTENDORF r L 2,933,987

CONTAINER FLAP CUTTING MACHINE Filed on. 15, 1957 4 sheetsfsheet 4 a0,84 uws/v TORS WILL/AM .1 HOTTBVDOIPF C h fg f'l? E HARSHMAN i zwrZd ATTORNEKS United States Patent F CONTAINER FLAP CUTTING MACHINE Thepresent invention relates to flap cutting machines and more particularlyto machines which Will sever superfluous fiap portions from collapsedpaperboard containers.

. Paperboard containers, also called boxes in this specification, arecommonly made by first forming pre-cut paperboard blanks and thengluing, stapling, or otherwise fastening together the two extremelateral panels so that, upon unfolding, the four lateral sides of thebox form a continuous enclosure. The bottom and the top remam as flapsto be folded and fastened before use.

The blanks are generally cut to simple shapes, such as squares orrectangles, with appropriate flap delimiting slits. It is readilyapparent that, whereas one blank may comprise flaps of two differentlengths, the height of all the fiaps will be the same. Consequently,where the final container is to be oblong rather than cubic, forinstance, two opposite flaps of the four bottom-forming and two oppositeflaps of the four top-forming flaps will have to be reduced in heightand made to abut upon each other if good closure is desired without anexcessive superposition of flaps.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic apparatusfor the selective cutting of paperboard container flaps.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, asset forth above, which will accommodate blanks of various sizes.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, asset forth above, which will comprise means for adjusting the sizes ofthe strips to be cut from the flaps.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus,as set forth above, which will operate at a high rate of speed.

These and other objects and advantages will become more readily apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1A is a plan view of the flap-cutting section of the apparatus ofthe invention.

Figure 1B is a plan view of the blank-take 01f section of the apparatus.

Figure 2A is a view in side elevation of that part of the apparatus ofFigure 1A.

Figure 2B is a view similar to that of Figure 2A, but showing that partof the apparatus of Figure 1B.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of part of the apparatus of theinvention.

Figures 4-12 are semi-schematic views which show the sequence ofoperation of a fiap selecting mechanism which is part of the invention.

Figure 13 is a view of a fiap-cut container.

With reference to the drawings, an assembly of two telescopic frames, towit, outer frame 20 and inner frame 22, delimit the machine. Box kickerfeed 24 feeds the machine with tubular containers by urging saidcontainers onto apron 28 over carrying roll 26. The containers :are thenforwarded further by pull rolls 30 and 32 and 2,933,987 Patented Apr.26, 1960 brought into sandwiched engagement with respect to centercarrier belt 34 and ancillary compression belt 36 While being maintainedin proper alignment by adjustable guide rails 38 and 40. This adjustmentis made by the operator manipulating handwheels 42 and 44.

Parallel pick-up fingers 46 and 48 are secured to a common rotatableshaft 50 and adapted for rotation therewith in timed relation to themoving containers, so as to lift the two first upper flaps into slidingengagement with adjustable guide rods 52 and 54. These guide rods arenormally inclined at an angle which can be varied by moving clamps 56and 58 and tightening them at various places along the slits in members62 (Figure 1A), said members being secured to guide rails 38 and 40.During adjustment of said rails, clamps 64 and 66 are loosened to permitthe transverse movement of arms 68 and 70 of said guide rods inconjunction with the movement of said rails.

A set of rockably mounted guide members 72 and 74 deflect the twoterminal lower flaps of each collapsed container onto two otheradjustable guide rods 76 and 78. The residual four fiaps remain in theiroriginal position and the progression of the containers bring said flapsin engagement with adjustable cutter rolls 80, 82 and 84, 86, said rollsbeing driven by motor 83. The cutter rolls are adjusted to cut theproper width of flaps by the manipulation of handwheels 85 and 87. Afterthe cutting process and upon disengagement from belts 34 and 36, thecontainers slide onto a double belt conveyor 88 where they are submittedto the pressure of two weighted rollers 90, carried at the free end of aswivel bar 92 and two flexible compression tongues 94 and 96, saidtongues being adjustably secured to said bar. The rollers compress thelateral sides of the containers for the purpose of better stackingwhereas the tongues engage the box flaps and press thereagainst. Siderails 98 and 100 permit the vertical stacking of the containers afterpassage through the machine.

Figures 4 to 12 more particularly disclose the means by which the flapsto be cut are isolated from the others. Fingers 46 and 48, rotating intimed relation to the progression of the container, engage the upperleading flaps 102 (as shown in Figure 5) and lift them onto guide rods52 and 54 (as shown in Figure 6). Said fingers, while rotating in timedrelation to the progression of the container as was shown above, do soat a considerable overspeed in relation to said container to allowfingers 46 and 48 to depress the trailing flaps and to advance forwardand under flaps 102. The lower leading flaps 104 then contact rockableguide members 72 and 74 (as shown in Figure 7) and cause them to swivelaround their axes 73 (as shown in Figure 8), while being themselves,along with upper trailing flaps 106, raised in a tilt by said guidemembers (as shown in Figure 9). The lifting of flaps 104 and 106 byguide members 72 and 74 causes relative movement apart of said flaps andthe lower trailing flaps 108, and the action of flaps 104 in passingover guide members 72 and 74 causes further clockwise movement of thelatter (cf. Figures 9 and 10), with the result that the trailing ends ofsaid guide members enter between flaps 106 and 108 and cause flaps 108to be cammed downwardly (Figure 10) so that they may be engaged by guiderods 76 and 78 (Figure 11) and moved, as is the case with flaps 102, toa position where they will not be cut by the cutter rolls 80-86 (Figure12). Flaps 104 and 196 are then passed between said cutter rolls and cutto the desired size. After flaps 106 move out of contact with therockable members of 72 and 74, the latter are returned by spring means(not shown), to their normal position (Figures 7 and 12).

The kicker feed 24, pull rolls 30 and 32, belts 34 and 36 and shaft 50are driven in timed relation by means not ease-es? Such"multi=elem'enttimin'gr'drive means are old in the box machine art and form no part ofthe present invention. V

"The adjustment of'frame 2 2 with'respect to frame 20 'enables "themachine "to accommodate "a wide variety of 'tcontainer sizes. It will beapparent that apron '28 can bebrought closer toor removed "farther fromkicker feed 24 by relative 'displa cem'ent'of the two frames. Clamps 97and 99 serveto tighten frame "22 to frame 2i) when the propersetting fora'given box size 'has been made.

What'is claimed is:

1. In: combination with an endless conveyor carrying collapsed boxes,said boxes having their four bottom "and four top forming flaps situatedon either side of fsaid conveyor in two "layers of pairs of flaps, flapselective meanscomprising 'rotatably movable hook-shaped "'flap'pick-up'fingers operativein timed relation with "and during the advance of'saidboxes and adaptedfto lift the two leading flaps of each upperpair-upwardly, dri'vemeansfor repetitively rotating -said'pick-upfingers through a 360 circular path, normally stationary flap"stationary fiapguide means adapted to engage said last flaps in slidingrelation therewith and maintain the downward deflection thereof.

2.- The combination set forth in-claim 1 including ad- "justable cuttingmeans operative to'sever parts of the four non-deflected flaps.

1 3Q 'A box flap cutting machine operative to reduce in means in alignedrelation to said flap cutting means, and

fl'ap selector and orientation means operative to isolate two out "offour box top and two out of four box bot- "tom engendering flaps fromthe balance of said flaps for size reduction by said cutting means, saidflap selector and orientation means comprising hook shaped.

fingers mounted for rotation and adapted to engage beneath and topartially raise the upper leading flaps, up-

jwardly and forwardly directed guide rods adapted to engage beneath saidpartially raised flaps and raise said 'flaps to a substantially verticalposition, rockable guide members positioned and shaped to be engaged androcked "forwardly and downwardly by the leading .edges of the lowerleading flaps and to tilt said lower leading flaps and the uppertrailing flaps upwardly away from said lower trailing fiaps, said guidemembers having trailing portions adapted to enter between said uppertrailing and lower trailing flaps to earn said latter flaps partiallydownwardly,- -and downwardly and .forwardly directed guide rods adaptedto engage above said lower trailing flaps and :lower the sameto asubstantially vertical position, said lower leading and :said uppertrailing flaps being thereby isolated for size reduction by said cuttingmeans.

'4. A machine according to claim 3, said .rockable guide members beingadapted upon passage 'thereover by said isolated fiaps to reverselyrockv to their initial position.

5. A machine according to claim 4-, said hook shaped fingers beingvertically positioned above said flaps and so rotated to'engage beneath.said upper leading flaps while being moved forwardly .and downwardly.and -to partially raise said .flaps while (being moved forwardly andaupwardly.

6. 'In a box flap cutting:machinezoperative to reduce in size two of thefourfiaps dispnsedat one end .of a

collapsed tubular'box, said flaps being disposed in superposed first andsecond layers, with each layer being composed of a leading flapand atrailing flap, thecombi- I nation comprising conveyor means forcontinuously moving said box through a linear and substantiallyhorizontal path, an elongated finger having a hook shaped end,

means rotatably mounting and positioning said finger in a vertical planeso that the hook shaped end thereof may enter between the leading andtrailingfiaps of said first layer, drive means to. rotate-said pick-upfinger so that the rate of travel of the-hook shaped end of said fingerwhile said finger engagessaid box is in excess of the rate of travel ofsaid box along said linear path, whereby said leading flap engaged bysaid hook shaped end is urged out of its substantially horizontalposition, and angularly inclined stationary guide means to engage saidleading flap after it is so urged by said finger and to deflect saidfiapinto a substantially vertical position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,733,643' Fergnani Feb. 7, 1956 2,764,918 La Bombard Oct. 2, 19562,807,197 Rodman Sept. 24, 1957

